Adaptive Pattern Recognition Based Controller Apparatus and Method and Human-Factored Interface Therefore

1. A method for providing a user interface for a media processing device comprising: providing a media recommendation of an entertainment media object based at least in part on an automated media usage history analysis for a respective user to implicitly derive user preferences for the respective user; conducting an interactive dialog with the respective user to receive explicit user input; and selecting at least one media object based on both the interactive dialog and the media recommendation, wherein there are a plurality of users, each of said plurality of users having a respective user preference, wherein the media recommendation is based on at least the respective user preferences from the plurality of users.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising receiving speech information from the respective user during the interactive dialog.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising processing image information of the at least one media object to characterize the image information.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising determining a user identification of the respective user based on a biometric analysis.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the biometric analysis comprises speech analysis.

6. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the biometric analysis comprises image analysis.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the biometric analysis comprises facial analysis.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the media recommendation is based on implicitly derived user preferences for the plurality of users.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising recording a selected at least one media object.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising presenting a list of recommended programs based on the at least one media object.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the selected at least one media object is employed to tune a video tuner.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the media processing device comprises a packet data network interface.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the interactive dialog is conducted through a speech interface.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the interactive dialog is conducted through a graphic user interface.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the recommendation is based on at least an automatic semantic analysis of the at least one media object.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the recommendation is further based on at least an automatically classified genre of a media object.

17. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising automatically determining a composite recommendation based on implicitly derived preferences for the plurality of users.

18. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising: storing a history of usage and associated respective context of use of the respective user in a memory; determining a respective user's context of use; automatically determining a set of actions available for selection by the respective user based on at least a status of a system and presenting the set of actions to the respective user in the interactive dialog; and selectively presenting to the user one or more actions from among the set of actions available for selection based on an automated analysis of at least the stored history of usage and associated respective context of use of the respective user, a status of the system being used by the respective user, and the respective user's determined context of use.

19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the one or more actions is selectively presented to the user based on at least an automatically determined chronological pattern of a history of user actions.

20. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the one or more actions is selectively presented to the user based on an automatically determined semantic content of a media program.

21. A method of searching available media content for content of interest to a user comprising: receiving content-identifying parameters from a user insufficient to unambiguously identify content; automatically defining a logically defined sequence of content identifiers corresponding to the content-identifying parameters and a stored user preference profile, to provide a personalized result set for the user, the user preference profile comprising at least inferentially defined information; automatically presenting the personalized result set to the user through an interface configured for receiving a selection of a content identifier; and automatically accessing the content associated with the content identifier.

22. An interface method comprising: interactively communicating with a user in a series of communications containing at least implicit indications of user characteristics; processing the series of communications with an automated processor to derive at least implicitly represented user characteristics to form an explicit user profile; and automatically generating a signal suggesting media content to the user based at least in part on the formed explicit user profile from the implicitly represented user characteristics, wherein there are a plurality of users, each user having respective user characteristics, wherein the signal suggesting media content is based on at least the respective implicitly represented user characteristics of the plurality of users.

23. The method according to claim 22 , wherein the suggested media content comprises a media recommendation, the implicit indications of user characteristics being based at least in part on a media usage history analysis.

24. The method according to claim 22 , further comprising engaging the user in an automated interactive dialog relating to media content, to elicit the series of communications containing the at least implicit indications of user characteristics.

25. The method according to claim 24 , wherein the interactive dialog comprises speech.

26. The method according to claim 24 , wherein the interactive dialog comprises communications conducted through a graphic user interface.

27. The method according to claim 22 , wherein the signal suggesting media content is responsive to at least implicitly represented characteristics of a group of users.

28. The method according to claim 22 , wherein said signal suggesting media content to the user comprises an ordered list of suggested media.

29. The method according to claim 22 , wherein said automatically generating comprises semantically analyzing at least one media object.

30. The method according to claim 22 , wherein said automatically generating comprises automatically classifying a genre of a media object.

31. A method for proposing media to a user, comprising: receiving a user input; processing a content index representing abstract information content of each of a plurality of media objects, in association with a user record which is selectively dependent on at least past interactions of the user with identified media objects, and the user input, using an automated processor, to selectively produce a sequenced list, in order of user acceptance probability and dependent on a correspondence of the user record with the content index, of media objects in response to the user input; and presenting the list at an output port, wherein there are a plurality of users, each user having respective user characteristics, wherein the list is based on at least the respective user characteristics of the users.

32. The method according to claim 31 , wherein the user record is dependent on at least a classified information content of a plurality of media objects.